Any one involved in Olympic style rowing..?

[Warm Gums]

If so how difficult is it to learn in "old age" (I'm 50) Not interested in serious racing, just recreational stuff.
I'm reasonably fit and a decent swimmer...

[jimd]

I know my dentist rows and he is somewhere around 50. Can't hurt to check out a local rowing club.

[drf64]

I have rowed in the past and if i lived near an appropriate waterway i'd take it up again. I'm close to 50. It's a great work out and if you have bad knees, like me, you'll find it might be a perfect alternative to jogging. You need to learn through a rowing club. You have to absolutely learn the correct technique at the get go so you don't develop bad habits. Training sculls are a lot wider than racing sculls, but they are still a challenge for a beginner.

i say go for it!

[drf64]

need to add you always wear a life jacket. I've heard of experts drowning because of cold, bad conditions, exhaustion, etc.

[Nick JD]

Lame! Try this.

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by drf64

I have rowed in the past and if i lived near an appropriate waterway i'd take it up again. I'm close to 50. It's a great work out and if you have bad knees, like me, you'll find it might be a perfect alternative to jogging. You need to learn through a rowing club. You have to absolutely learn the correct technique at the get go so you don't develop bad habits. Training sculls are a lot wider than racing sculls, but they are still a challenge for a beginner.

i say go for it!

The knees are a concern, after years of distance running, and long periods of soccer, rugby and lacrosse my MD and PT are advising me to look for something else.
I enjoy the bike, but as I mentioned in another thread riding on the roads in this are is pretty dangerous, so going any distance is difficult.
I will check out the local rowing clubs..
Our local curing group had a post Olympic open house after Torino, interesting but trickier than it looks. Perhaps the boathouse will do something similar.

As for white water/ surf...
I think those days are rapidly coming to a close, I had a board out over the weekend, the local breaks are just way too crowded, and the paddle board /surf skifad has just made it worse. As I get older I value solitude more and more,

[fuzzbender]

Rowing is oarsome

[jjkrause84]

Originally Posted by Warm Gums

If so how difficult is it to learn in "old age" (I'm 50) Not interested in serious racing, just recreational stuff.
I'm reasonably fit and a decent swimmer...

I don't know if I'd trust you in a boat, seeing as you're already talking about 'swimming'!

[Warm Gums]

My experience with small boats ( owed a Sunfish for a few years) is that sooner or later you end up in the drink.
Better safe than sorry..
I was discussing this with a friend who shared that his wife was the coxswain for a college intramural crew , apparently she fell in the first day...in the practice tank.

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by Warm Gums

If so how difficult is it to learn in "old age" (I'm 50) Not interested in serious racing, just recreational stuff.
I'm reasonably fit and a decent swimmer...

Not too hard, but you will need some coaching to get started. If you can find a good program, you'll have a lot of fun and get some decent exercise.

[pblossom]

I used to work at a place that builds rowing shells. When I worked there in the early 90s we built them for the US olympic team. One of the boats I worked on got a silver medal. I think it was in Barcelona.

[Hack On Wheels]

If you're really worried about your knees, I would focus on swimming. That said, rowing is one of the coolest sports around. Find somewhere with a learn to row program that'll put you in a quad or in a training single (affectionately known as a bathtub single). Do pay attention to technique, it's not hard but it is important to get the right sequence of motions before developing bad habits. When you start to get your balance and some power, you'll see (technically you'll feel it) how awesome rowing is.

I'd recommend starting with sculling (two oars) instead of sweeping (one oar). The symmetry puts less strain on your body and it's also more fun, in my opinion. Check it out and let us know how it goes!

Also, congrats to the US Women's 8 for a stellar race! I was happy with how the Canadians did as it was a great performance for them, but the Americans truly dominated.

[Warm Gums]

Found a program thru the local club, 3 weeks x 3 two hour sessions (m,w, sat) first session is in the tank this coming Sat.
Starts with the most basic of basic, but gets you on the water in a resonable time..
Should be fun.

[imsilly]

I rowed for my school. My advice would be do it if you have a proper club nearby because it's easy and good exercise. That is unless you are fat in which case you won't fit in the boats, or you'll probably tip it over. I'm being serious, not a sport for chubbies.

[Hack On Wheels]

Originally Posted by imsilly

I rowed for my school. My advice would be do it if you have a proper club nearby because it's easy and good exercise. That is unless you are fat in which case you won't fit in the boats, or you'll probably tip it over. I'm being serious, not a sport for chubbies.

Hah! My thighs rubbed on the inside of a number of boats... Good times. I got a bit of a reputation on the team for that. Funnily enough, I was in peak physical condition at the time, my thighs were just that large.

Don't fuss about having "the right body type"; just get out there and have fun.

[stevieboy]

The training sculls should accommodate a larger person, and be more stable.

When they've gotten to the point where they can handle a racing scull, they probably will have lost some weight!

[Feargal]

The one guy i know locally who is into the rowing is in his 60's and still hit the water on a regular basis no bother, go for it. It's either this or cycling when the knees are acting up.

[Mad Kiwi]

Ha nice one Nick. Piha, great beach. Spent many years surfing there.